Aerospace Diary

Press Release Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 29, 2012 The indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas LCA Navy NP1 made its maiden flight in Bangalore when Commodore JA Maolankar, Test Pilot and Wg Cdr Prabhu, Flight Test Engineer completed a 22 minutes flight.  During the flight the aircraft was put through various manoeuvers including low speed handling and even undertook a close formation flying at slow speed with another aircraft. Earlier the LCA Navy NP1 had completed various intensive Ground testing regimen including Low Speed Taxi Trials (LSD), High Speed Taxi Trials (HSD), Ground Vibration Test (GVT), Structural Coupling Test (SCT) and extensive system integration tests with power plant using State-of-the-Art facilities at Bangalore HAL airport. With this India has crossed a major milestone in Design, Development, Manufacturing and Testing of a “four plus” generation Carrier Borne Fly-by-Wire STOBAR aircraft, says MoD. LCA Navy aircraft is the first attem...

News India’s Navy Ordering More MiG-29Ks Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Dec 04 , 2009 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews India’s navy has decided to order 29 additional MiG-29K aircraft, Adm. Nirmal Verma says. The Phase Two purchase will come under an options clause of a previous order of 16 of the aircraft that will delivered soon. That would bring the total number of MiG-29Ks ordered to 45. Aerospace Daily spoke to Verma recently during his first news conference after becoming Chief of Naval Staff. The first four of the aircraft from the initial 16 ordered will be delivered by the end of this year, Verma confirmed. Two of the aircraft will be trainers and the other two single seaters. They are for the controversial Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. Some aircraft parts have already started to arrive, with assembly expected by the end of January 2010. Delivery of the rest will be made by 2011. Virtually all trials have been completed, with the last trial conducted Dec. 2. Firing trials are...